Wednesday, November 4, 2015

And now the restoration (really, reworking) of this piece is well underway. I realized, while I was looking at my reference image, that I had completely screwed up the ear placement. I'm a huge (stubborn) believer in not using a grid, so these errors of measurement and proportion definitely happen. I know, I know, a grid would cut my time by so much....but....I feel like the challenge of eyeballing and measuring manually is so much more rewarding when you truly get it right. So, here I am, completely repainting this face....and so absolutely happy with the outcome. The proportions are now absolutely right. The shading? Better. The ear? Better. Yes, the scratch is still visible....but I didn't want to use any fillers or mediums to make the loss less-visible. Every line and crack caused by my inexperienced and uneven gesso work with an oil ground is very visible under bright lights. This scratch should be, too. It's all part of the piece's personal history.

And now I'm almost ready to call this piece done, again.

Soundtrack? My happy place jams of The National (Alligator) and Father John Misty (I Love You, Honeybear). Also, does anyone else have Adele's new song in their head on repeat? Cause, that one too. Sorry, Ivy Building, if you heard me belting that today......